Note: Sky View finished with a 9-3 overall record in 2014 and was second in Region 5 with a 5-1 record. It lost to Timpview 45-7 in the 4A quarterfinals.
SMITHFIELD — Sky View coach Craig Anhder jokes that there’s no need for him to talk to his players about the jump to 5A this year, “the kids talk a lot about it themselves.”
It’s never negative talk, and that’s why Anhder isn’t nervous about being bumped up to 5A in the latest wave of UHSAA realignment.
“It’s created a sense of urgency. The kids want to make sure they have an opportunity to perform there, so we’ve had great turnouts to our summer weight training and summer conditioning program,” said Anhder. “They have a great desire to prove they belong in 5A and can compete at this level.”
They’ve garnered immediate respect too. In the Deseret News preseason coaches projections, Sky View was tabbed as the team to beat in the new Region 1, edging out Region 1 holdover and defending champion Fremont for the top spot.
Sky View obviously has to prove itself on the field this fall, but with the returning personnel it has from last year’s 4A quarterfinal team, that seems like an inevitability.
The Bobcats return eight starters on offense and eight more on defense, a whopping number for any 5A or 4A team.
“It’s always a benefit when you can return players. They don’t have that little eye of wonderment when they go into that first game. They’ve been there, they’ve done that. I think it helps us raise our level of practice up, and whenever you can raise your practice level up you’re going to raise your game level up,” said Anhder.
That experience could pay off right away when Sky View opens the season at Riverton, a 5A semifinalist from a year ago. Riverton is going through a coaching change and doesn’t have nearly as many starters returning, but it’s been a consistent playoff team the past decade.
“They run the ball well. I think it will test us, and that’s something that 5A does very well is run the ball, they seem a little bigger and they really like to pound the ball at you,” said Anhder.
Sky View was pretty good at pounding the ball too as Isaac Hermann rushed for over 1,400 yards and 20 touchdowns. He graduated, however, and his heir apparent is still recovering from an ACL tear suffered in the final JV game last season. Jameson Daines should be back sometime in September, but in the meantime Sky View’s coaching staff has turned to an unlikely source to fill those shoes — 250-pound Mason Tye.
Tye was a starter at defensive tackle last year, but he moves well and is pretty quick for his size.
After running back, Sky View is loaded with returning starters offensively. Colton Durrant, Dereck Talua and Wes Anderson are all back on the offensive line, while Sky View returns four starting receivers, Bryce Mortenson, Braygon Holbrook, Zack Morrison and Alex McCrae.
At 6-foot-6, Mortensen is a huge threat in the red zone as evidenced by his 16 touchdowns last year. Mortensen is a great blocker too, something Anhder said is what got him on the field in the first place two years ago as a sophomore.
Collectively, Anhder is excited about the entire core of receivers.
“I feel like they’ve all gotten better. They’ve taken time, they’ve gone to camps, they’ve really tried to improve their skills. It’s been fun to see them progress that way,” said Anhder.
All of that returning offensive personnel points to a monster season for quarterback Garrison Beach. He was very good last year anyway completing 64 percent of his passes for 2,223 yards, 21 touchdowns and just three interceptions.
He’s looked even better so far this summer.
“He probably threw over 1,200 balls in 7-on-7 and he didn’t throw one pick. That’s just his efficiency. Same last year in football with pads and defensive lines, he was super efficient. I don’t want Garrison to try and do any more than be his best and play within himself. When he plays within himself he does good things,” said Anhder.
With a much tougher schedule this season, Beach will need to continue that efficient play for Sky View to be a factor in 5A.
The other side of the ball is where Sky View needs to get better. It wasn’t bad by any means ranking in the top 10 in scoring defense in 4A last year, but it struggled against the better teams. Timpview put up 27 and 45 on Sky View in two meetings while Maple Mountain and Roy each scored 36.
Sky View had no problem holding down teams like Bonneville, Provo and Ogden, but there’s nobody of that caliber on the schedule anymore.
Anhder believes that with eight returning starters, and a stout defensive front, his team should be better.
The defensive line will be the strength. Defensive ends Jake Pitcher and Max Christensen combined for 21.5 sacks last season while Durrant and Tye were strong at defensive tackle. Tye will likely play sparingly to keep himself fresh for his running back duties, but it’s a strong group nonetheless.
“Jake had more sacks than Max because a lot of teams would try and double team Max. It will be interesting to see how teams try and handle both of them,” said Anhder.
Pitcher led Sky View with 87 tackles last year while Durrant was second with 76.
Riley Haderlie is the only starting linebacker returning while the secondary returns three starters, McCrae, Kade McCulloch and J.R. Saxton.
In a first-round win over Murray last year Sky View’s secondary recorded a whopping five interceptions. The following week against Timpview though Britain Covey completed 8 of 12 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns.
An extra year of experience should help Sky View’s secondary get tougher and better as it heads into the rigors of 5A.
Sky View Bobcats at a glance
Head Coach: Craig Anhder is entering his 11th year as head coach at Sky View, having compiled a 72-41 in his first decade as head coach. He’s a graduate of Mountain Crest High School.
Offense (8 returning starters; Power Spread offense)
Offensive coordinator: Perry Christensen (5th year as assistant)
Returning offensive starters
Garrison Beach (QB)
Colton Durrant (OL)
Dereck Talua (OL)
Wes Anderson (OL)
Bryce Mortenson (WR)
Braygon Holbrook WR)
Zack Morrison (WR)
Alex McCrae (WR)
Offensive newcomers to watch
Mason Tye (RB)
Defense (8 returning starters, 4-3 defense)
Defensive coordinator: Cam Johnson (6th year as assistant)
Returning defensive starters
Max Christensen (DE)
Jake Pitcher (DE)
Colton Durrant (DT)
Mason Tye (DT)
Riley Haderlie (LB)
Alex McCrae (S)
Kade McCulloch (CB)
J.R. Saxton (CB)
Defensive newcomers to watch
JR Martindale (LB)
Stockton Boman (LB)
Jake Udy (CB)
Braxton Ward (CB)
Bryson Siddoway (S)
Coaches preseason Region 1 straw poll: First
Deseret News Region 1 prediction: First
Bottom line: Sky View couldn’t have asked for a better scenario as it jumps to 5A. Not only does it return eight starters on both sides of the ball, but fellow Northern schools Clearfield, Roy and Mountain Crest are all making the jump to 5A too — and will all be lumped together in Region 1. Sky View won’t be intimated at all by any of those teams, and realistically shouldn’t be intimidated by Weber or Northridge either. That doesn’t mean the Bobcats will win all those games, but they know they can compete in all of them. It’s the nonregion games against Riverton and Brighton, and the Region 1 clash with Fremont that will be the true measuring sticks to see if Sky View was ready for the jump to 5A.
Last 5
2014 — 9-3 (5-1 in Region 5, Quarterfinals)
2013 — 9-3 (5-1 in Region 5, Quarterfinals)
2012 — 5-6 (2-3 in Region 5, First round)
2011 — 5-6 (3-2 in Region 5, First round)
2010 — 3-6 (2-3 in Region 1, Missed playoffs)
Sky View coaching history
2005-current — Craig Anhder (72-41)
2004 — Dan Cox (4-7)
1999-2003 — Perry Christiansen (17-34)
1993-1998 — Doug Snow (19-36)
1990-1992 — Bill Brechler (12-16)
1983-1989 — Jan Hall (27-41)
1981-1982 — Jack Robinson (16-4)
1978-1980 — Doug Adams (9-19)
1968-1977 — Earl Lindley (58-30-3)
1964-1967 — Glen Oliverson (8-21-5)
Deseret News First Team all-staters the past 10 years
2014 — Isaac Herrmann, RB
2013 — Seth White, OL
2012 — Nelson Griffiths, K
2008 — Eric Berntson, DL
2008 — JD Falslev, Specialist
2007 — Adam Weston, LB
2007 — McKade Brady, DB
2006 — Jase Hill, QB
2006 — Britain Martin, WR
2006 — Chad Champlin, LB
To view second team and honorable mention all-staters through the years, check out the Deseret News All-State Archives.
Deseret News prep editor and Real Salt Lake beat writer.